That Fiery Passion
by winter's fever
Summary: Quick One Shot. Layla goes to meet up with Will at the Paper Lantern. She ends up spending the night with someone else. LaylaWarren.


Quick Sky High Fic.

Layla and Warren because they should have ended up together in the movie.

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Layla didn't understand why Will wanted to meet at the Paper Lantern. She hadn't been there since over a year ago, right before the both of them started dating. She was sure Will didn't spend his nights there gnawing on fortune cookies. Layla figured a date was a date no matter where it was, she just wondered where the hell Will was. She had been standing outside the tiny restaurant for a good ten minutes watching the streets for her boyfriend. He wasn't one to be late for their dates, he was the one that was there fifteen minutes in advance making sure everything was perfect. Ever since they started dating, he had been such a perfectionist.

Feeling the cold numbing her toes, she decided to wait inside the doors, hoping he'd show up soon. She pulled open the heavy cedar door and made a mental picture in her head. It looked almost the same as a year ago, except it looked like they repolystered the bar stools. It was dimly lit and had a red veil covering the entire place. Paper lanterns brightly lit up each table and set the room to an eerie glow. She never remembered this place being so secluded and clandestine. If this was in the middle of New York City's Times Square, no pedestrian would notice it.

"Miss, would you like a table?" A little chinese woman smiled openly walking toward her.

Layla glanced at her watch, it had been twenty minutes now.

"Sure." She smiled to the women as she turned to lead her back to a booth.

"Would you like something to drink?" The woman gestured Layla to sit down.

"Water would be fine." Layla repiled setting her bag down and pulling her coat off.

She looked down at the green blouse she was wearing. She had bought this just for this night and Will was a no-show. What a waste of a perfectly good blouse, she thought to herself. It was just unlike Will not to show, he should have been there by now. Maybe he was in trouble, maybe he was attacked by villians. She mental slapped herself for worrying such silly thoughts. He is fine, he'll be here, her mind subconcsiously coaxed her.

"Layla?" A low growl evaded her thoughts.

She turned her head up to see two dull brown eyes staring at her.

"Warren." Her eyes scrunched in confusion. "You still work here?"

"Yeah." He simply replied setting a cold glass of water in front of the redhead.

She looked at his hand as it held the edge of the glass. She ran her eyes over the red flames that were etched into his hand. Her eyes traveled up his arm, his taunt muscles flexed as he pulled his arm back to his side, wiping the condensation from his hand. Her eyes landed back to his face where he was looking at the table, fiddling with the tray he carried.

"How have you been?" She picked up the glass and took a sip.

"I've been good." He looked up momentarily at her eyes before looking back at the table.

She checked her watch once again, almost thirty minutes and Will was still not there. Maybe she had heard him wrong, maybe he didn't say the Paper Lantern. Maybe he was sitting somewhere else worrying about her in the same fashion.

"Are you waiting for someone?" Warren asked setting the tray on the table.

"Will, he was suppose to be meeting me here a half hour ago." Layla explained taking another sip of water.

"He stand you up?" Warren let his monotonous voice break with a little concern.

"No..no." Layla reassured herself. I hope not, she prayed to herself. "He probably just had something to take care of. You know Will, always the busy guy."

"Yeah, with being a superhero and having a girlfriend, there is hardly time for friends." Warren seemed seered with pain but was diligently trying to hide it.

"You know that Will didn't mean to drop you like a hot potato." Layla cooed. Warren's eyebrows raised. "Sorry, not the best phrase, but you know you are still his friend."

"I'd believe that if it was coming from _his_ mouth." Warren tapped the tray on the formica table.

"Sit down." Layla pointed across from her. "I don't care if you don't think that Will is your friend anymore, but you _are_ still mine and I want to talk with you."

"What about Will and your date?" Warren looked to the door as if to see Will standing there.

"I have a feeling he's not going to show." She nudged him to sit. He faultered a moment before giving in and taking a seat.

"Only for a little while." He grunted folding his arms on the table.

"This is very much like deja vu." Layla smiled. "It seemed like yesterday I was in here boiled over with fustration for Will standing me up for Gwen Grayson."

"Why does that make you smile?" The corner of Warren's mouth cracked upward.

"I used to love this place. Will and me used to come here all the time as friends. Just talking, hanging out, eating all the different foods off the menu." Layla licked her lips thinking of all the fried rice she could engulf whole. "Now, all we ever do is act like we are a married couple. Planning out dates to swanky restaurants, playful kissing and teasing, and it all feels unreal."

"Unreal?" Warren wanted her to continue.

"Real love, real passion is a burning fire. Something that grows inside of you and feels good and keeps you alive." She emphasized. He gave her a furrowed brow. "Sorry, another phrase."

"I get it. _Being_ on fire is one thing, _feeling_ the fire is a whole other story." He leaned forward as he growled to her the last of the sentence.

"By the way, what happened to the freezer girl?" Layla pointed a suspcious finger at him.

"Her name was Jenna and she moved a few months ago." Warren corrected her.

"You still dating her?" Never hurt to wonder these things.

"Naw, she and I...just weren't right for each other." He held back a smirk. "She was keeping my fire cold."

Layla laughed and Warren watched her face lit up. Her green eyes glistened in the eerie dim light and stood out among the dark woods that surround her face.

"Cracking jokes now, Mr. Peace?" Layla raised an eyebrow.

"I reached my quota for tonight." He waved a figure at her. "You'll have to come back tomorrow if you want another one."

"Is that an invitation?" Layla's eyes lit up.

Warren's face dropped a moment as he lowered his head. He shouldn't be flirting, especially with Layla, someone who already had a boyfriend.

"My shift's over." He said standing up. "I should go."

Layla grabbed her coat and purse and stood up as well.

"Let me walk you home." She insisted pulling her coat on.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Warren shook his head.

"It's probably not, but I don't care." Layla bit her lip. "It's only right to walk your dinner date to the door."

"You are a strange, strange flower power child." He shook a finger at her as he went back to get his jacket.

Layla felt a little guilty for wanting to walk him home but Warren was her friend and it was time for someone to show him what it was like to have that friend there for them. It didn't hurt that he was sweet behind that ugly demeanor. He was always very understanding. She always wondered where he had gotten that quality since his father was an infamous villian. Perhaps his mother was caring for him, teaching him how to be a good person. Warren appeared moments later with his black jacket cloaking his shoulders.

The walk was quiet mostly and Layla could only think about where they were heading. She had never been to Warren's house. She imagined a tiny, dark house with no life in the windows. Then she started wondering what Warren's room looked like. Would it be plain and boring? Would it contain shelves of books that he had managed to read? He was an avid reader. Perhaps, it was black and red, his signature look.

"What are you thinking?" His tone shown curiousity.

"If you live in a dungeon or not." That was slightly the truth.

"A Dungeon? This is the 21st century, not the Middle Ages." Warren smirked and shook his head.

"You look happy when you smile." Layla conjectured.

"You look happy when _you_ smile." He replied.

He stopped in front of a Victorian style creme colored house. It was a little shabby around the edges but had to be very beautiful at some point in time.

"Nice house." Layla commented.

"Thanks." Warren said. "This is where you go."

Warren stared at her expecting her to start walking anytime soon. She stood staring at him.

"Thank you for sitting and waiting with me. That was like old times. When all of us used to hang together." Layla let a smile curl up on her lips.

"Yeah, it was kind of like it. Except the supposed boyfriend ditched you." Warren twisted his jacket in his hand. "What's with Stronghold lately?"

"I don't know, he doesn't talk with me like he used to. Pretty much all we do is go out, eat, make out, and go home." Layla rolled her eyes.

"What kind of relationship is that?" Warren looked very upset like someone broke his crayon on his first day of kindergarten.

"Whoa, Peace, ease up." Layla put her hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry, it's just, why be in a relationship like that? He doesn't even seem to like you. He's just horny." He looked down at her hand.

"I see your point. I've been thinking about that lately too." She didn't get Will's behavior herself as he became more of a mysterious as he gotten older.

"I better go." Warren grabbed her hand and kissed the backside of it. His eyes traveled her face when he did this.

"Um, Warren..." Layla's voice cracked under the pressure. He pulled away from her hand.

He looked at her, his eyes narrowed by her voice. She hestitated a moment before she pulled herself up and brought her lips on his. His body pulled back a little by the force of the kiss but pulled forward to respond. Their connected hands dropped to opposing sides and pulled closer. Layla couldn't believe she was doing this, kissing Warren Peace and enjoying it. He suprisingly had soft lips and he could kiss very well. She let her tongue dodge to his mouth but before she knew it his was in her mouth. She felt slightly warmer all of a sudden. She wasn't sure if it was her body or his but she liked the feeling, it calmed her. Soon, their mouths dropped back and Layla slowly pulled away. Warren still had his hands on her hips holding her steady.

" I..I don't know why I did that." Layla held her hand up to her mouth.

"I'm glad you did." Warren mumbled putting his hands to his sides.

"You--you're a good kisser." She looked up at him tittering a little. "I bet Jenna misses that."

"Who?" Warren cocked his head.

"Freezer girl." Layla looked him.

"Yeah, I guess."

"You should go, I should go, it's late." Layla backed away.

"I'll talk to you soon." Warren leaned down and kissed her cheek. "I hope very soon."

Layla smiled and waved him off. She sighed and shuddered slightly. She could feel that fiery passion now.

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Quick drabbles, hope you liked it. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!

-nocturnal


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